Essay Four: Inspiration
Pink Sapphires and Diamonds in 18k White Gold
When introducing the Bespoke Section of this website I make mention that the pieces that are exhibited with in came to be as a result of being inspired by an external force. Recently working on the forthcoming Alchemy Book it struck me that this inspiration could in of itself be a topic for an Essay. So I was inspired to address inspiration!
Borrowing from Essay One if the proceeding sounded haughty I apologize there seemed to be no other way to write what was trying to be expressed.
Orange and Pink Sapphires in 18k White Gold
The first source of inspiration for the Alchemy collection is the gems themselves.
One of the tasks with my job, although I would not call it a task, that I most enjoy doing is buying gems. Equating it to a kid in a candy store does not even do justice to the pleasure I receive from the buying of gems. I seem to approach it as a one for the client and one (or two or even THREE) for me!! If I look at every gem within the Bespoke section I can tell you what gem I was supposed to be buying the day I bought that gem too. I never quite know what I will do with them and they often sit waiting patiently until I do! Gems just inspire me!!
For me a truly exquisite gem dances with a life of its own. It is not always the “best” color or the highest “clarity” or the most precisely cut. I have come across many gems that excel in these areas and they are “flat”. Perfect but lifeless. For me a gem must be vibrant and pull you in. I must get lost and need to catch my breath. In that moment inspiration is born.
Olafur Eliasson
Blue Sapphire, Emerald and Yellow Diamond set in 18k Yellow Gold
The second and third grouping of inspiration behind the Alchemy collection is Art and Architecture both of which I approach in very different ways.
For me and I can only speak for myself, Art is a discipline. I study, reflect and discuss it. I question what is trying to be expressed and if it evokes a response. I never come from good or bad but from how I feel when I experience it. It is through this discipline that often I become inspired. It could be the colors of the paint, the shapes of a sculpture or the relationship of the subjects that when I experience them I become inspired to build upon that and add to the conversation through the Alchemy Collection. (Note to reader .. I think I crossed the Haughty line!) When I go to a museum or gallery it is with the intention to be inspired for the Alchemy Collection.
Barbican Center
Peridot, Rubellite and Orange Sapphire set in 18k Yellow Gold
With Architecture there is no focus or discipline and most often the spatial relationship of the Alchemy pieces are inspired through architecture.
As I walk about my daily life, I just see what I see. It can be a grouping of buildings, the curve of a roof, the detail of a fixture. It can be anything and everything, anywhere and any style that my eye is caught and inspiration stirs. I will snap a picture of this subject and then contemplate it and how to express it through the Alchemy collection. I will often sit looking at the photos and doodle future designs never quite knowing where the doodling and inspiration will take me but knowing it will lead to a place of beauty.